Disposal of human waste has been difficult in remote and rural areas. The practice of open defecation in many countries results in the contamination of surface waterways with fecal matter, parasites, and bacteria. Such contamination is responsible for the deaths of over two million people annually, mostly children less than five years of age.
Septic systems are well-known and have been used for a long time to dispose of human waste. Septic chambers used in septic systems employing water-flushing mechanisms are often located a substantial distance away from the toilet. However, the placement of a septic chamber a substantial distance away from the toilet may not be feasible in remote rural areas. For example, construction associated with water-flushing systems makes them environmentally and cost prohibitive in such areas.
Composting toilet systems are well-known and have been implemented as an alternative to water-flushing systems. Composting toilet systems include a single chamber that is positioned beneath the toilet. With less construction over a given geographical area, such composting toilet systems may be preferred over water-flushing systems for economic or environmental reasons.
Prior composting toilet systems include a single septic chamber. Those that include divisions within the single chamber do not include separate communicating chambers that are designed to handle overflow. Most of these singled chamber composting toilet systems are also horizontally oriented. Some of the prior composting toilet systems include the addition of bacteria that decompose human waste. Those that do prefer aerobic bacteria. Similarly, such composting toilet systems use water inherent in the system instead of adding water. Finally, the prior composting toilet systems lack liners for waterproofing the chamber walls.